The Jagged Crown
by The Chthonic Professor
Summary: One altered decision changes everything. Orochimaru manages to convince Iwa to join his invasion of Konoha, and Konoha doesn't survive the onslaught. The Konoha Twelve make a run for it in an attempt to keep Sasuke from Orochimaru's grasp, and find their way onto an expedition heading deep into the Southern Seas. Skyrim awaits! Set slightly before and during Skyrim timeline.
1. Madness

**_The Jagged Crown_**

 ** _Summary:_** _One altered decision changes everything. Orochimaru manages to convince the Hidden Rock to join his invasion of Konoha, and the Hidden Leaf Village doesn't survive the onslaught. The Konoha 12 make a run for it in an attempt to keep Sasuke from Orochimaru's grasp, and find their way onto an exploration vessel heading deep into the Southern Seas._

 ** _Disclaimer:_** _I don't own Naruto. I don't own the Elder Scrolls Series, either. I do, however, own a copy of Skyrim. One that I have definitely overused and abused, thus some of the many characters I have created over the years may show up in this story._

-.-

 ** _Chapter One - Madness_** _(Muse)_

-.-

The world was on fire.

At least, Naruto felt like the world was on fire, because _his_ world was on fire. The Hidden Leaf Village was burning to the ground, and there was nothing he could do about it. He felt so weak, so completely and utterly useless.

He'd managed to chase down and eventually subdue Gaara after the redhead had gone full-biju. He'd actually been very proud of himself, feeling rather accomplished after the fact. He'd been tired, bone-dead tired, but he'd managed to drag himself to his feet. Stumbling about like a hopeless drunk in the middle of the forest, he'd retraced his steps from the battle and found his teammates. Sakura had still been unconscious lying beside Sasuke high up in a tree. Despite the fact that they were both injured and exhausted, the two boys of Team 7 had put aside their differences - just for a moment - in order to carry themselves and their unconscious teammate back towards the village.

Sakura had woken up with a headache halfway through their trek, but she'd been well enough to walk on her own. The three of them, bruised and battered, but alive, had hobbled their way through the forest side-by-side.

Naruto had smiled to himself quietly, then. He'd been sure, been absolutely _positive_ , that people would finally begin to recognize and acknowledge him for his talents. He'd managed to take down the One-Tailed Racoon entirely on his own, after all. Even for one as dense as Naruto, it wasn't hard to see how much of an accomplishment that really was.

It had taken them nearly an hour, but the three young teens, barely into the beginnings of puberty, had reached the front gates of their village, their home.

Only to find out that the world was on fire.

The three of them emerged, stumbling, from the expansive forests of Hi no Kuni and were immediately bathed in an orange glow. The entire village was aflame, like some sick parody of a massive bonfire. Flames seemed to erupt from the village like writhing monuments, reaching with grasping fingers up to the darkening sky.

Naruto's gaze was glassy, the massive inferno before him reflected in his deep cerulean eyes. Without realizing it, tears had begun to streak down his face. Naruto almost flinched as a small, barely calloused hand slipped into his own. Barely moving his head, he glanced to his side.

His heart clenched at the sight. With a sort of numb realization, Naruto understood that his expression must have mirrored the look on Sakura's face. Even looking at it now, he never wanted to see that expression on her face again. Her cheeks, marred with dirt and grime, had two clear tracks running down them. Her tears flowed freely and her hands clutched desperately at his and Sasuke's.

With one last glance to his burning home, Naruto felt his heart harden. His tears slowed and eventually stopped. His eyes, deep blue and ever-expressive, turned hard and cold as diamonds.

Haku's words echoed loudly in his ears, now.

 _"_ _When you have someone precious to protect, that is when you truly become strong."_ The village was precious to him, yes, but it was the friends he'd made there who were truly precious to his him. The village may burn, the buildings may crumble, but as long as Naruto had his precious people to protect, the Will of Fire would continue to burn in his heart.

That was a promise, to his friends, and more importantly, to himself.

And he never broke his promises. That was his ninja way, after all.

Giving Sakura's trembling hand one final squeeze, Naruto was just about to leap through the blazing gates of the village when a rumbling crash stopped him. The inferno seemed to swell for just a moment, and then a shinobi wearing a Leaf Headband burst through the gates. He was charred and bloody, and even from the edge of the forest, Naruto could see the terror in the man's eyes.

"Wh-what's going on in there?" Sakura muttered quietly, but the shinobi must have been hopped up on adrenalin because he heard her anyway. With wide eyes, he skidded to a stop and turned in their direction.

"E-everyone's running for their lives. The Hokage's been killed, and most of our forces went down when Oto and Suna got back-up from a platoon of Iwagakure shinobi!" Sakura gasped beside him, and Naruto even thought he might have heard a small grunt of surprise from Sasuke.

None of that mattered at the moment, however.

His heart had gone cold in his chest. The Hokage was dead. His Jiji, the old man who'd looked after him and taken care of him for longer than he could remember… he was dead. It was almost unbelievable. He was the Hokage, he was supposed to be the strongest shinobi in the village, and now he was dead?

Naruto curled in on himself slightly. There truly was no hope. The village, his grandfather figure, they were all gone. It was finally hitting him. He had no home to return to. The Hidden Leaf Village wouldn't be able to recover from such large-scale destruction.

There was no longer a Village Hidden in the Leaves.

They weren't even rogue shinobi, they were shinobi without a village. Shinobi without a purpose. They had nowhere to go, what was a mere Genin supposed to do in order to survive alone and helpless in the wilderness?

…

No…

Naruto let go of Sakura's hand and clenched his own into fists. He wasn't alone. He still had his friends. He still had his precious people. As long as he had them, as long as he had something to protect, he had something worth living for.

Once more, just as Naruto was about to leap into action, to jump headfirst into the roaring blaze that was once his former home, something stopped him. He heard a distressed cry, his eyes snapping to the shinobi who was now sprinting past them.

His eyes widened, and the world seemed to slow. He watched as the shinobi tipped over mid-stride, the gleaming black handle of a kunai sticking out of the back of his head. Blood sprayed from the wound, splattering the side of Sasuke's face in a grisly display. Naruto suppressed a flinch as he realized Sasuke's Sharingan was active and spinning fiercely.

It made for a truly gruesome display.

Before the man had even hit the ground, the sound of whistling reached Naruto's ears. His eyes widened even further, and he saw Sasuke's Sharingan eyes focus on something slightly to the right of Naruto's current field of vision. Naruto tensed his muscles, his entire body flooded with adrenalin, but he knew he wouldn't make it in time. He wasn't fast enough to save his teammates. He wasn't even fast enough to save himself.

Just when all seemed lost, Naruto felt his muscles lock up. In a flash his body was responding to commands that weren't his own. With a start, Naruto realized that Sakura and Sasuke's bodies were moving in perfect sync with his own.

All three of them leapt backwards, just barely managing to clear a barrage of kunai on time. Feeling his heart pounding in his throat, Naruto looked over his shoulder and caught sight of Shikamaru. His fellow academy ditch-buddy was down on one knee, his hands tied up in a hand seal and his shadow extended, connected to all three members of Team 7.

Naruto grinned. Shikamaru had always been someone you could count on in a pinch. Throwing his grin over his shoulder at the shadow-user, Naruto sent him a double-thumbs-up.

"Thanks for the save, Shikamaru."

Despite the sweat running down his forehead in rivulets, Shikamaru couldn't keep the small smirk off his face. "Anytime, Naruto."

The shinobi who'd tossed the kunai at them growled and bent at the knees. He was clearly about to leap towards them and attempt to finish what he'd started, but before he could, he was suddenly enveloped in a massive swarm of bugs. There was a single, high-pitched scream, and then the man was on the ground twitching.

Naruto jumped slightly as there was a rustle from the underbrush beside him, and the green-clad Aburame Shino emerged from the line of trees.

"Whoa, Shino, that was pretty cool man." Naruto complimented, slightly surprised at the seeming ease displayed by the young Aburame. If Naruto wasn't wrong, that shinobi wasn't just unconscious, he was _dead_ from chakra exhaustion.

Shino just pushed his round sunglasses further up his nose.

"I simply got lucky. Why? Because that shinobi was cocky, had he stayed closer to the flames, my Kikai bugs would have been unable to reach him due to the intense heat."

"Oh."

There really wasn't much more you could say after that, was there?

Naruto took a moment to steady himself, staring down the blazing inferno that was his village for a moment, before he turned and looked back at the rest of his comrades. His classmates. His friends.

He smiled to himself a little. His friends. It sounded unbelievable, but it was true. His smile grew further, only for his features to suddenly harden. His blue eyes turned to steel in their sockets, and though he didn't notice it himself, everyone else, Sasuke included, sat up straighter.

The only one who consciously made note of this sudden change was Shikamaru. He smirked internally to himself, even as he felt a sudden rush of strength and determination fill his heart.

 _"_ _Geez, Naruto,'_ He thought to himself, _'One look was all it took and you've already got yourself looking like a leader.'_ This time he really did smile a little. He chuckled in his head. _'Hah, you're really going places, aren't ya blondie?'_

Naruto took in a deep breath and squared his shoulders, looking all four of his comrades in the eye.

"Look, it's absolutely hell in there." Naruto jabbed a thumb over his shoulder at the mass of flames behind him, "In all honesty…" He paused for a moment, suddenly looking nervous and licking his cracked lips, "… in all honesty, I don't think the village is gonna make it out of this alive."

They all swallowed hard, but none more-so than Naruto.

"The Hokage, _Jiji_ ," Naruto's voice cracked a little, "Is dead. The civilians were evacuated, but I don't see any other shinobi making it out of there alive, and the fire's just getting worse."

Shikamaru idly wondered when Naruto, prankster extraordinaire, had turned into a speech-giving war-commander on the battlefield. In all honesty, he was slightly reminded of some of the stories Inoichi and Choza would tell him about his dad.

"On top of that, I recognize that _nasty_ smell in the air. That's a special oil meant to burn super hot for a very long time, and it's made in Iwa." Naruto hesitated with something for a moment, and then his lips twitched. "I used some for a prank once, it was hella expensive stuff, but totally worth it."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. _There_ was Naruto: prankster extraordinaire.

"Where are you going with this, Uzumaki." Sasuke ground out from his position on the ground. Both he and Sakura had stumbled when released from Shikamaru's shadow possession technique. They were still injured and exhausted from the fight with Gaara.

Naruto turned to look at his raven-haired teammate for a second and his expression hardened once more.

"What I'm saying is the the Village Hidden in the Leaves no longer exists."

Nobody seemed to breathe. Those words coming from Naruto's mouth were practically an announcement that the apocalypse had arrived. For the first time since they'd all convened, Sakura spoke up.

"We can always rebuild…" Even Sakura realized how weak her voice sounded. Naruto just shook his head at the statement.

"Buildings can be rebuilt, yes, but not as Konoha. Not with so many shinobi already gone." Naruto's words rang true, but he was nonetheless clenching his fists, his knuckles white with effort. Even from the edge of the trees, Shikamaru could hear the blonde's teeth grinding together.

"But- but what about your dream to become Hokage?" Sakura stumbled on her words, tears coming to her eyes. Shikamaru mused that Naruto's words must have made her realize that her parents probably hadn't made it out alive. Both of them were still Genin-level shinobi, and they weren't protected like the younger generation of Genin would be.

Shikamaru tried not to flinch. Though he didn't realize it, a single tear ran a line down his grimy cheek. He was only just realizing himself that his father had probably already been killed as well. He was the Jounin commander, a very high-priority target.

Naruto gave a quick, heavy sigh at Sakura's words and looked down at his sandalled feet.

"Sakura-chan… when I first wanted to become Hokage, it was because I wanted people to acknowledge me. To _see_ me, to recognize me, to tell me that I was worth something, that I was needed, _wanted._ " His voice was heavy and thick. He looked up, his shimmering blue eyes staring into Sakura's watery green.

"But I've got that. _You_ guys gave me that, even if it's not perfect. It's still acknowledgement. It's still friendship. Not long ago, I had a long chat with the Old Man about my dream, and you know what he told me?"

It was a rhetorical question, but Sakura shook her head anyway.

"He told me that, more than anything else, a Hokage has to have the Will of Fire. Above all else, a Hokage must be willing to put everything on the line, to put his life before the lives of every other citizen of Konoha. To protect, with all his heart, that which is precious to him. That's what it means to be Hokage."

Naruto clenched his fists even tighter and turned around, gazing up over the village walls, past the flames licking the sky above the village, and into the cracked visage of his grandfather figure high atop the mountain.

"That is why I'm still going to be the best Hokage I can be. Even if I don't have a village to protect, I still have my friends. Friends I will protect with my life, _because they've given me mine._ This is my Will of Fire, the Flame of the Fire Shadow."

He looked over his shoulder. His blue eyes were blazing with chakra, and Shikamaru flinched back as a pressure descended upon the clearing. Blue wisps of energy were swirling in and out of existence at Naruto's feet.

Shikamaru was beginning to realize just how powerful Naruto really was. Maybe all that bravado when he was still in the academy wasn't all for nothing. For him to be manifesting a physical chakra presence through nothing more than his heightened emotions…

… well. Shikamaru didn't even know what to _think_ , let alone _say_.

"I've still got friends in there. Friends who mean the _world_ to me. I _know_ they're all alive because _I have faith in them_. We're strong, every single one of us. We're all Genin, and we're young. Those who weren't sent after Gaara, the rest of my - the rest of _our_ friends, were probably as far from the battle as possible."

Shikamaru and Shino found themselves nodding. It was a logical thought process.

"So they're still alive in there, probably fighting _for_ their lives… and I'm not about to let them die in this damned fire."

Shikamaru felt his slightly erratic breathing calm, his heartbeat slowing down, the world slowly sharpening around him as he began to hyper-focus. No wonder Naruto was able to talk Gaara out of going on a mass-murder spree. He wasn't the most articulate speaker out there, but the kid really had a way with words.

Slowly, Shikamaru stood from his kneeling position. From the corner of his eye he saw Sakura and Sasuke stand, and Shino step forwards to stand beside him. The four of them had formed a line in front of Naruto.

 _'_ _We're all subconsciously deferring to his leadership,'_ Shikamaru thought to himself, _'Even Sasuke.'_

He found he didn't really mind.

Naruto took in their tense stances and hardened looks, and gave a single sharp nod.

"Alright. So I'm thinking a good chunk of our friends are gonna be stationed by the hospital. As it is, Lee is already there, so Neji and that other girl, One-One or something, are probably there as well."

In the intensity of the moment, nobody bothered to correct Naruto.

"If we're lucky, Hinata might be there as well because of her injuries." It came out a little morbid, but again nobody said anything. It was a logical deduction, anyway.

"That leaves Ino, Choji and Kiba, who are probably still somewhere near the hospital because the hospital is near the base of the Hokage monument, at the back of the village. They might even be guarding some of the evacuation tunnels we sent the citizens through. It should've been difficult for most of the invaders to breach that deep into the village, so there's a chance they're still out there."

Naruto took a deep breath, as if he was about to say something he didn't want to. When he opened his eyes, they seemed to be a darker shade of blue.

"It's pretty dangerous… but I'm going to ask Shino and Shikamaru to be the ones to find those three, and Hinata if she's not at the hospital." There was a slight pause.

Both Shino and Shikamaru nodded.

"It's a good idea." Shikamaru piped up, "Both of our fighting styles will allow us to sneak up on people and take them out silently if anything happens." Naruto nodded and turned to his two teammates.

"The three of us are gonna raid the hospital. We're gonna get in, find our friends, take as many medical supplies as we can carry and get the heck outta there. Both of you are injured from the fight, and I'm sure some of the others will be as well, so we'll need to be able to patch ourselves up somehow."

The both of them hesitated for a moment before giving nods of their own, one more reluctant than the other. Naruto almost sagged with relief.

Though he hadn't said it out loud. He wanted Sasuke with him instead of out looking for the others with Shikamaru and Shino. Orochimaru, the bastard, had been strong enough to kill the Hokage and get away with it, and now he'd probably be after Sasuke. Even if he didn't come after Sasuke himself, Naruto was sure he'd be sending henchmen to hunt the Uchiha down. Naruto didn't want to leave Sasuke on his own.

Whether that was because he was afraid the Oto shinobi would be strong enough to kidnap Sasuke, or that he was afraid Sasuke would defect to Oto on his own, he wasn't quite sure. Not after the way Sasuke had been acting recently.

"Okay," Naruto shook himself from his thoughts, pushing them to the back of his mind for the moment, "While we're doing that, I'm going to send as many Shadow Clones as I can into the village disguised as enemy shinobi. Hopefully they'll be able to find anyone if we miss somebody."

Shikamaru leaned back at the idea. Where the heck had Naruto come up with such an odd, brilliant plan.

"How the heck is anyone going to recognize your Shadow Clones if they're disguised, Naruto? Won't the others just attack and dispel them on sight?"

Shikamaru cut in before Naruto could speak.

"No, it's genius." Sakura gave him a surprised look. "Don't give me that look, don't you see? Naruto's always had trouble disguising his whisker marks with the henge, every single one of us knows that."

Naruto nodded, smiling at Shikamaru with his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm hoping they'll at least hesitate if they see an enemy shinobi with my whisker marks plastered on their face. Then maybe that clone will have enough time to tell them to get the heck out of the village as quickly as possible."

"Okay, so then where are we all going to meet?" Sakura asked. Shikamaru idly noticed that her hands were shaking.

Naruto thought about it for a moment before nodding to himself.

"We'll meet up in the forest behind the Hokage monument."

"Behind?" Sasuke asked.

"Yeah, behind. If we meet on top we'll be too visible. We'll meet behind the monument in an hour, and then go south from there. If…" Naruto suddenly stopped, shook his head, and ground his teeth together. "… if the other group isn't there in an hour, leave."

Everyone flinched, even Sasuke. They'd never heard Naruto sound so cold in his life.

"What, but-" Sakura started. Naruto cut her off.

"No, Sakura-chan. I'm serious. If the other group isn't there in an hour, _leave._ " Sakura looked like she wanted to continue protesting, but Shikamaru interrupted her before she could.

"Look, if we head south from here we'll be hitting Tea country in a matter of hours. If we haven't met up by then, we'll head towards the town at the very tip of the Tea Country peninsula. It's a large port town, so we should be able to hide out in the crowds for a week, maximum."

Everyone slowly nodded their heads.

"So, if we don't meet up outside the village, we meet up at the other end of Tea Country in about two weeks. If one group gets there before the other, they'll wait for a maximum of a week before moving on."

Shikamaru nodded his affirmative.

"We'll meet up at the docks if we do make it to Tea Country, that way we won't have to constantly be combing through the crowds in order to find the others."

Again, everyone nodded.

The clearing was silent for a moment, aside from the roaring inferno behind Naruto.

"Alright then," Naruto grinned, a hard, humourless grin, "Let's go save our friends."

-.-

 ** _AN:_** _Longest opening chapter I've ever written. I've been playing a lot of Skyrim lately, as well as reading some fantastic Skyrim x Naruto crossovers, so I've decided to make one of my own. Hopefully this'll be as unique as some of the other great stories I've read from this fandom._

 _Yeah, that's about it for now._

 _Peace, people!_

 _The Chthonic Professor_


	2. I See Fire

**_The Jagged Crown_**

 ** _The Chthonic Professor_**

 ** _Disclaimer:_** _I don_ _'_ _t own Naruto. I also don_ _'_ _t own the Elder Scrolls series, that right belongs to Bethesda._

 ** _AN:_** _So, this has been sitting on my laptop, unfinished, since I posted the first chapter for this story. I've finally finished it, but even now I'm not too thrilled with the chapter's ending. Either way, I have to go now. It's my parents_ _'_ _anniversary, and we_ _'_ _re going to watch Wonder Woman because my dad (like me) is a super-nerd and my mother is actually interested in a Marvel movie for once._

-.-

 ** _Chapter Two - I See Fire_** _(Ed Sheeran)_

-.-

It was total pandemonium.

Everywhere he looked Naruto saw fire and smoke spiralling high into the sky. Moving in a crouching sprint, he and his teammates had been making their way through the village for the last couple of minutes. Picking and choosing his way as carefully as he could through the rubble, Naruto tried to simultaneously keep an eye on his surroundings and on his teammates.

The two of them were trailing a little ways behind him, but were nonetheless keeping pace.

Naruto smiled a little. They may have had a rough start, but he had to give Kakashi some credit. Team Seven as a whole was far stronger than they had been just a couple of months ago. Naruto was proud to call himself a member of this team.

They may have been injured, but Sasuke and Sakura weren't going to let that stop them.

Looking over his shoulder, making sure Sakura didn't slip sideways into a pile of burning rubble, Naruto hadn't noticed the duo of Oto shinobi sneaking up on him.

Sakura stumbled a little, and Naruto flinched, his body involuntarily moving towards her protectively, but Sasuke's hand shot out and he stabilized his teammate. Breathing a silent sigh of relief, Naruto watched as his teammates' eyes locked for a moment. Then they both turned and looked at him.

Seeing their attention on him, Naruto was about to give them both a double thumbs-up when their eyes widened in alarm.

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted out, fear clouding her tone.

"Dobe, duck!" Sasuke called out, not as loudly as Sakura but just as panicked.

Without hesitating, Naruto threw himself to the ground. His hands dug into hot coals, but he ignored the pain. Before his chest had even touched the ground he felt a passing wind ruffle his blond hair violently.

Sakura and Sasuke watched from their perch atop a pile of rubble as an Oto shinobi's katana glinted in the flickering light of the fire, singing through the air above their teammate's head. Had Naruto hesitated for even a moment his skull would have been split in two.

Before the enemy shinobi could recover from his young opponent's dodge, Naruto had twisted around on his hands and hooked his foot around the back of the taller shinobi's knee. The attacker went down with a shout of surprise, tumbling backwards and flinging their katana high into the air.

The second shinobi, who had been waiting just slightly behind his partner, rushed forwards with a kunai at the ready. The man let out a loud battle cry and leapt into the air, kunai poised high above his head.

Quick as a flash, Naruto's hand lashed out and caught the spinning katana by the handle. Crouching low and lunging forwards, Naruto shifted beneath the leaping Oto shinobi's guard and thrust upwards. The man's eyes widened in alarm as his momentum carried him forwards. He was impaled upon the blade, sliding down the sharp weapon with a gruesome squelch. Naruto twisted out of the way just in time to prevent the man's kunai from slamming into the top of his skull, and he dropped the now-useless katana.

Then, a second battle cry tore through the air behind Naruto, and he spun around to find his first opponent hurtling towards him with a kunai of his own at the ready. Naruto shifted, attempting to dodge the rapidly approaching shinobi, but he wasn't going to be able to move on time.

Just when it seemed like it was all over, the man was halted in his tracks. Crouching low before Naruto, outstretched arm bursting with the Chidori's chirping lightning and Sharingan eyes spinning wildly, was Sasuke.

The man's momentum carried him all the way down Sasuke's arm, right up to the Uchiha's shoulder. Digging in his heels, Sasuke took the full force of the man's forward charge. The Oto shinobi's legs were flung up into the air, his arms and neck snapping forwards, as Sasuke refused to even budge an inch.

The man's kunai, still clutched tightly in his hands, missed the tip of Naruto's nose by mere millimetres.

Sasuke grunted and took a single step forward. Hand still crackling with lightning, Sasuke plunged the attack into the earth at his feet, creating a small crater. The Oto shinobi's chest exploded in a shower of gore at the force of the attack.

For a moment, all was still besides for the raging inferno around them.

Sasuke stood upright, staggering slightly at the effort it took, and shook his arm in an attempt to clear off some of the blood. Naruto took a shuddering breath and coughed as he inhaled smoke. Sakura unfroze from her position atop a pile of rubble and sighed. She slid down the small hill as safely as she could and walked up to the boys.

She eyed the both of them with a hard gaze. Sasuke swayed a little, caught himself, and scoffed. He rolled his eyes. Naruto giggled (though he would forever claim it to be a chuckle, and not a giggle) and tapped their arms.

"C'mon, we gotta move." He spoke softly. His words could barely be heard over the crackling flames.

Not another word was uttered as Naruto once more began to pick his way, as quickly as possible, through the burning rubble that was once their home. No words needed to be spoken. The bodies of the two Oto shinobi were left as they lay amongst the destroyed streets of Konoha.

They wouldn't talk about what had just happened, because they didn't need to talk about it. So much had changed in such a short period of time.

Maybe it was the direness of the situation. Maybe it was the loss of one of his precious people. Sakura and Sasuke weren't exactly sure what is was, but something in Naruto had changed. He was different.

Quietly, they couldn't help but think that maybe this change was for the better.

-.-

The hospital was a mess.

The front doors had been blown open. As Naruto walked slowly through the gaping portal, his first impression was that they were already too late. There were corpses strewn all about the lobby floor. Konoha citizens and shinobi, staff members and patients, and Oto, Suna, and Iwa shinobi alike littered the room. The walls and floor were stained with blood, and a rancid smell had overtaken the sharp tang of antiseptic that Naruto normally associated with hospitals.

"Shit." Sasuke muttered quietly. That pretty much summed up this whole situation, actually, Naruto mused to himself.

Seeing so many dead bodies had put a damper on Naruto's spirit, but he wasn't going to be taken down so easily. Clenching his fists, Naruto hardened his heart with resolve once more.

He had faith in his friends. He could believe in their strength. They were still alive, he knew they were. All he had to do now was find them.

"Sakura. Sasuke." He spoke quietly. His teammates both started at the sound of his voice. From the looks of things, they were probably just as shocked by the brutality of the scene as he was.

"We…" He paused, swallowing the sudden lump in his throat. "We have to find the others. Quickly."

Sasuke grunted and stood up from where he was kneeling by a body, and Sakura gave a quiet but determined 'Hai' in response.

"Okay." Naruto took a moment to gather his thoughts. "Okay. I'm gonna make a couple of Shadow Clones to go gather as many supplies as possible. Sakura-chan," Naruto turned to the girl with a nervous look on his face, "I don't really wanna split us up like this, but you're the smartest one here. Can you go with the clones and tell them what they should and shouldn't grab?"

Sakura didn't even hesitate.

"I can take care of myself Naruto, don't worry about me. Just find the others as fast as you can, okay?" She gave him a small smile. Seeing her determination and confidence gave Naruto some hope that they could really all get out of this alive.

"Alright. Be careful Sakura-chan." Naruto slid his hands into a familiar seal, and suddenly the room was clouded with clones of the orange-clad shinobi.

As the group of blonds-plus-one took off, Naruto heard Sakura shout 'Good luck!' over her shoulder. Then the room was empty, and Naruto was left alone with Sasuke and a pile of corpses.

For a moment the two rivals stared at each other, not entirely sure how to deal with the situation they'd found themselves in. Naruto shrugged and moved to turn away. He stopped as Sasuke let out a quiet grunt.

Staring at his teammate from the corner of his eye, Naruto let the awkward silence stretch out for a couple of seconds. It was getting to the point that Naruto thought Sasuke may have just been clearing his throat rather than trying to get his attention when the Uchiha finally decided to speak.

"Dobe…" He spoke up, then stopped. He hesitated, licking his lips with a quick, darting movement. Naruto had never seen Sasuke act so nervously before. "Dobe," He tried again, "you… don't have to worry about me."

Naruto felt his eyebrows slowly beginning to rise towards his hairline. Sasuke, seeing the look on his teammate's face, continued. He looked away from Naruto, staring out into the burning inferno that was once Konoha through the busted front doors of the hospital.

"… Konoha is my home too." He shifted from one foot to the other and stuck his hands in his pockets. "You don't have to worry about me searching out Orochimaru for power. He destroyed my home."

Silence filled the hospital lobby. Then Naruto laughed.

"What are you, a moron?"

Sasuke was so shocked by the words that he visibly flinched back.

"What?"

Naruto turned slightly so he could stare at Sasuke with both of his crystal clear blue eyes.

"I know you're not going to run off to Orochimaru, Sasuke." Then he smiled, not one of his face-splitting smiles, but the kind that made his eyes tilt at the edges and shine in the light. "I'm worried that he's going to try and take you by force, and that we won't be strong enough to stop him."

Naruto ended the conversation by turning around and trudging up the stairs. "Come on," He called over his shoulder, "The faster we find our friends, the quicker we can get out of here."

Then he was gone from Sasuke's line of sight.

"Che." Sasuke scoffed and shoved his hands deeper into his pockets, but as he followed Naruto up the hospital staircase, he couldn't keep the satisfied smirk off his face.

-.-

Naruto and Sasuke had spent almost ten minutes rushing about the hospital from one floor to the next before the sounds of combat reached their ears. They stopped, shared a look, and picked up the pace. Taking the stairs up to the next floor three at a time, Sasuke very nearly bowled Naruto over when his orange-clad teammate stopped abruptly. He just barely managed to catch himself on the edge of the top step. Sasuke wobbled slightly. He frowned. His chakra reserves were abysmally low. If he used any more chakra, he'd most likely pass out and come up with a case of chakra exhaustion.

Looking at the back of Naruto's head, it was times like these that Sasuke truly began to appreciate the insane levels of stamina Naruto possessed. Considering he'd faced off against a fully-released tailed beast after spamming a huge number of clones in his match against Neji, and then creating even more clones to head out into the village as scouts, Naruto looked to be in far better shape than himself. It was almost ridiculous how much chakra Naruto possessed.

Mentally shaking his head, Sasuke refocused his attention to the task at hand. Though he may not exactly consider any of the other rookies his friends, they were his classmates and they were _Naruto_ _'_ _s_ friends. That was all the reasoning he needed to be here, helping Naruto.

"Naruto, what's the hold-up?" He whispered quietly to grab Naruto's attention. Without turning to look at him, Naruto whispered back.

"I found Lee's team, they've barricaded themselves against the back wall of the hallway with a bunch of hospital equipment. There's a squad of Iwa ninja, four of them, trying to get past the barricade."

"Okay." Sasuke took a moment to process the information. "I'm assuming you have a plan?"

Naruto's grin told an entire story without the need for words.

"Alright, your aim better be as good as it always is, bastard. I'm gonna cause a distraction with my shadow clones. I'll create a bunch of them and make as much noise and smoke as possible. Hopefully, the Iwa ninja will be too shocked to react for a moment. While they're distracted, try to take them all out with some kunai, or shuriken, whatever you have on you. If any of them survive, I'll pile up on them with my shadow clones."

Sasuke didn't even nod. He just tapped Naruto's shoulder twice to indicate he'd both heard and understood the plan. Naruto's hands deftly slid into a very familiar hand seal, and Sasuke reached into his weapons pouch, palming a couple of shuriken in one hand and some kunai in the other.

In a cacophonous explosion of smoke and sound, twelve clones of Naruto erupted into existence, three for each offending ninja. Without skipping a beat, Sasuke leapt out from behind the wall and let his weapons fly. Two of the Iwa shinobi whirled around, eyes wide in surprise, at the sudden intrusion. They received a kunai and a shuriken between the eyes, respectively. One of the Iwa shinobi, instead of whirling around, dove to the side. He rolled along the ground until his feet connected with the wall and he sprung back up in a fighting stance.

The final Iwa shinobi was faster than his comrades. He whirled around, plucking one of Sasuke's shuriken from the air and returning it with prejudice. Sasuke leaned back, dodging the returning shuriken by a hair's breadth.

The first of the Iwa shinobi to survive leapt at a trio of Naruto clones with a snarl on his face. He lashed out with a punch, only for one of the clones to take the hit on purpose, simultaneously yanking on the man's arm and throwing him off balance. The second of the three clones leapt through his brethren's dismissal-smoke, executing a high snap-kick into the Iwa shinobi's jaw. Disoriented, the man didn't catch the final Naruto clone coming in low, wielding one of Sasuke's errant kunai. With a flash of steel, the man's throat was slit.

The final Iwa shinobi had ignored the clones, believing them to be nothing more than fodder, and had immediately gone for Sasuke. He lead his charge with a straight punch, which Sasuke leaned away from in a sloppy dodge. Tired as he was, Sasuke fell back and caught himself on his hands. Being the genius he was always lauded for being, Sasuke used his position to his advantage, kicking out his legs in a sweep meant to take the Iwa shinobi off his feet.

With a confident smirk on his face, Sasuke's opponent, clad in nothing more than Iwa's standard chunin uniform, leapt over Sasuke's attempt at a sweep. He was so confident in his win, he didn't account for the fact that Naruto's clones clearly had to come from _somewhere_.

Naruto tore around the corner, immediately leaping over Sasuke's head and into his airborne opponent's path. With a truly nasty grin on his face, Naruto unleashed a punishing kick to the man's testicles. The man released a high-pitched squeak of pain and tried to curl in on himself while still airborne. Naruto, taking advantage of the opportunity, grabbed a fistful of his opponent's hair. He touched down and immediately leapt back into the air, smashing both of his knees into his opponent's skull while using his hands to keep the man's head in place. The results were a sickening _crack_ echoing through the room as Naruto's knees destroyed the man's nose, sending fragments of broken bone and cartilage up into the Iwa shinobi's brain.

His death was instantaneous.

As the dead man crumpled to the white tile floor of the hospital, the hallway went totally silent. Just as the silence was becoming stifling, a brown-haired, bun-toting Konoha shinobi poked her head over the edge of the makeshift barricade.

"Hey, aren't you that Naruto kid?" She asked, eyebrows raised questioningly. Naruto turned to face her, a small frown on his lips. He mumbled something that sounded like 'not a kid', but Tenten hadn't caught it. She'd been distracted by Sasuke walking up to stand beside Naruto.

"You're Tenten, right?" Sasuke asked, voice solemn. Tenten gave a nod as her response. "Your teammates are Neji and Lee." The way Sasuke phrased it, it wasn't a question.

"Yes. They're both back here with me, but Lee's barely in any condition to move. His legs…" She broke off, gaze downcast.

"Yeah, I know." Naruto's voice was solemn. "Gaara really did a number on him." His fingers slowly curl into a tight fist. He set his jaw, the muscle there twitching slightly with effort. "But… but that doesn't matter right now."

Tenten glanced up at him in shock. What was this boy insinuating? Lee would probably never be able to walk again, and this kid would just brush that under the rug? He didn't have the right!

"What matters right now is that Konoha…" Naruto swallowed thickly around the lump in his throat. "Konoha… has fallen."

Tenten gasped. Somewhere behind her, Neji stiffened in shock. Konoha, their home, had fallen? It was inconceivable, impossible. There was just no way. The Hidden Leaf was the greatest ninja village in the world, it was simply unfathomable to think it would ever fall.

"I know. I _know_." Naruto ground his teeth, eyes welling up with tears. "My dream is to become Hokage, to be the greatest ninja the village has ever seen, but now… now there is no village left to become Hokage for. Too many have lost their lives today, and too much has been burned to the ground. There's nothing left."

He took a shuddering breath. Planted his feet. Steadied himself.

"And, if we don't get out of here soon, there won't be much of _us_ left either. I can't accept that. Even if I don't have a village to protect anymore, I can still protect my friends. I still have the Will of Fire, and nothing, _nothing_ , is ever going to change that."

"Right now, Shikamaru and Shino are trying to find Ino, Choji and Kiba. Sakura's gone to get some medical supplies in case anyone is injured, and Sasuke and I came to find you three."

By now, even Neji had an awed look on his face. This was the kid he'd always thought would be a dead-last loser? Just who the heck was Uzumaki Naruto?

"We were hoping Hinata'd be here at the hospital as well. I'm not sure how bad her injuries were from your fight with her, Neji. Do you think she'd still be here?"

The shocked Hyuuga took a moment to respond, still far too out-of-sorts because of the unprecedented situation. "I… am not sure, Naruto-san." He finally responded. "But I can check. _Byakugan!_ " He flared his chakra, the veins in his eyes bulging grotesquely as he activated his family's coveted bloodline. It only took him a couple of moments to scan the entirety of the hospital. There weren't very many active chakra signatures to look for.

"No. Hinata-sama isn't in the hospital at the moment."

" _Shit_." Naruto muttered softly. Everyone still heard him. "Alright. Okay. Neji, can you walk?" He asked, eyeing the Hyuuga kneeling behind his bun-haired teammate.

"I should have no problems walking, the injuries I've sustained aren't very severe." He responded succinctly.

"Good. Then you can carry Lee."

Without warning, Naruto slipped his fingers into a hand-sign he was intimately familiar with, and the hallway was shrouded in chakra-smoke.

"Tenten-san, I'm going to have my clones go around gathering all the weapons they find that are in pretty good condition. You've got some way of sticking them in scrolls, right?"

Tenten nodded mutely, barely visible in the slowly clearing cloud of smoke.

"Alright, let's go. We gotta meet back up with Sakura-chan in the lobby. I know she said she can take care of herself, but I'm a little nervous leaving her on her own in this shitty situation."

With that, Naruto turned on his heel and marched back down the hallway. A hallway which was now filled with shadow clones.

-.-

Rubble-filled staircases and cold corpses blurred past Naruto as he rushed towards the hospital's lobby. The others could barely keep up with him. Sasuke hung back to help Tenten carry Lee, simultaneously asking (though, it was more like an order than simple demand) Neji to keep an eye on his teammate with the famed Hyuuga Bloodlimit. Naruto ignored it all in favour of reaching his destination as quickly as possible.

As much as he said he had confidence in her skills, allowing Sakura to run off on her own has left him jittery and anxious. She's driven and entirely capable of defending herself when push comes to shove, but she's still Sakura-chan. She's still the girl he had a crush on for so many years, and she's still his teammate. He can't stop worrying about her, and he won't stop worrying until she's standing beside him where he can know for sure that she's unharmed.

Finally, he saw the last staircase before he reaches the ground floor. He took a flying leap, skipping the stairs entirely and landing in a controlled roll without breaking his momentum. Like a bull in a china shop, he burst through a pair of double doors into the main lobby.

Naruto came to a stop surrounded by flames. The fire engulfing the Hidden Leaf had spread, and the front doors of Konoha's Hospital were almost entirely consumed. He's sure that it'll only take a couple more minutes for the entire building to join the rest of the village. Naruto could feel his heart wrenching in his chest at the thought. Bile rose in his throat, but he forced himself to swallow it down. With the mental fortitude of someone used to wearing a joyous mask at all times, Naruto slammed his mental shields down on his emotions. He can mourn Konoha later. For now, he needed to meet up with Sakura.

Swallowing heavily and clenching his hands into fists, Naruto managed a single step in the general direction where Sakura first took off before he's interrupted. The hospital entrance is suddenly blasted inwards, flaming debris scattering about the lobby and settling at Naruto's feet. Naruto's already positioned himself in a fighting stance before he can consciously realize there's a potential threat in the area. His stomach clenched uneasily at the thought. It's terrifying how quickly war changes people…

As prepared as he is for a fight, Naruto still isn't ready for what comes through the door.

He's missing his entire left arm, his hair has been burned right off his head and his skin is melting right off his bones, but the single, stone-grey eye staring back at him is unmistakeable.

Naruto breathed out his beloved nickname, horror filling his heart like a physical thing.

"Ero-sennin…"

The burning husk of a man stumbled forwards, falling to his knees not a pace before Naruto. In his remaining hand, he was clutching tightly to a pair of scrolls. With a motion powered by willpower alone, the dying man thrusted the scrolls against Naruto's chest. He barely had a chance to grab them before Jiraiya, no longer strong enough to support his own weight, collapsed to the hospital floor.

Naruto, now clutching the scrolls tightly to his chest, fell to his knees beside his master.

"Jiraiya-sensei!"

The legendary man's body shuddered as he became wracked with pain. Spitting up a glob of blood, he grunted heavily.

" _Na-ru-to_ …" He ground out between bloodied lips and through a savaged throat. With his remaining hand, and using his waning strength, he reached across his chest to his dripping stump of an arm. " _You_ _'_ _ve grown_ _…_ _so much_ _…_ _in so little time._ " He coughed heavily, spitting up more blood. Then, in a brutally smooth motion, he rammed his hand into the bloody stump of his left arm, coating it in thick, viscous red blood.

Unnoticed by either sage or apprentice, Neji, Sasuke and Tenten arrived from one end of the lobby dragging a semi-conscious Lee, while Sakura and a couple of clones arrived from the other with an armful of medical supplies.

" _Today_ _…_ _Konoha may fall_ _…_ _but the Will of Fire burns strong in your heart._ " Though uttered with no more strength than a whisper, Jiraiya's words seemed to reverberate inside their minds. There was a looming strength behind them, as if Jiraiya wasn't speaking with the voice of a dying man, but rather with the voice of a raging inferno, or a towering mountain, or a relentless storm. Tears dripped down Naruto's bloodstained cheeks, but his blue eyes were opened wide. " _To protect.. the King_ _…_ _to protect the future_ _…_ _generations_ _…_ _that is the true_ _…_ _calling_ _…_ _of a Kage. Heed the call. Protect Konoha_ _'_ _s future_ _…_ _Naruto!_ _ **As long as you carry the Will of Fire in your heart, Konoha will live to see another day!**_ "

With his blood-soaked fingers, Jiraiya reached up to the kneeling Naruto's forehead and nudged his hitai-ate aside. Beneath it, he shakily drew the symbol of the Hidden Leaf Village upon Naruto's brow.

"I'm proud of you…" He whispered, and his voice was suddenly one hundred times weaker than it had been a mere second ago. His arm fell, but with the last of his strength he kept it aloft. With shaky fingers, and through blurry vision, he took one of Naruto's hands in his own. Naruto watched, transfixed, as Jiraiya clumsily inscribed an address in his own blood on Naruto's palm.

"Go…" He coughed, and his single grey eye closed for the last time. His arm slumped bonelessly to his side, and his chin dropped to the once-white tiles beneath it. "Discover… _your_ _…_ _destiny_ _…_ "

With that, Jiraiya of the Densetsu no Sannin breathed his last.

-.-

Naruto didn't realize he was crying until Sakura was kneeling before him, wiping the tears from his cheeks.

"Naruto." Tears were clouding her jade green eyes and her lower lip was trembling slightly. "Naruto, we have to keep moving. We can mourn the dead later."

He took in a shuddering breath and let it out slowly. He found strength in Sakura's familiar green eyes, but he did not smile. He couldn't. Not after everything he'd just experienced.

Before he could stand up, Naruto felt a hand drop down on his shoulder in a comforting gesture. Glancing behind him, he found Sasuke's coal black eyes staring back at him.

"Get up, Naruto."

Naruto was surprised by the force behind Sasuke's words. There was something fierce burning in his eyes, a fire Naruto had never seen from his rival before. It was bright and full of ferocious hope, even through the darkness that clouded their surroundings.

"You've been given a duty. You must uphold it, even during your darkest hour." The smile on Sasuke's face was small, but it was the most genuine thing Naruto had ever seen. "That is, after all, what it means to be a Kage."

Naruto blinked up at his rival-cum-best friend uncomprehendingly. The expression on his face must have been obvious, because Sasuke responded without any verbal prompting.

"Don't you realize the weight of what just happened? Those words uttered by Jiraiya of the Sannin, of all people, weren't just for _show_ , Naruto. They're ceremonial, told when a new Hokage is anointed. It's a passing of the torch from one leader to the next."

By now, everyone else in the (still burning) room understood the meaning behind Sasuke's words. Tenten's jaw had hit the floor, Neji's eyes were wide open, Sakura looked like she was about to faint, and even Lee looked more aware of the situation than he had all day. Only Naruto still had to catch on to the gravity of the situation.

"Don't you _get it_ , Naruto? _'_ _As long as you carry the Will of Fire in your heart, Konoha will live to see another day._ _'_ Naruto, Jiraiya wasn't just praising your strong spirit. _He was naming you the Godaime Hokage_. As long as Konoha has a leader, a protector, she can live on. Even if the buildings are gone, Konoha will still exist as long as she has a leader, and her people. _Us,_ Naruto. We are what remains of Konoha, _and you are our leader_. So, do what you do best and _lead_."

For a moment, Naruto could do nothing more than sit there and gape up at Sasuke. It was unprecedented for the cold, emotionless bastard to get so fired up about anything.

Yet, this was an unprecedented situation. Drastic times called for drastic measures.

Once more, Naruto felt his resolve settle like a weighted stone in his stomach. It was solid and heavy, unmoving and resolute, but it was a burden Naruto would happily carry until the day he died. The burden of protecting his friends. The burden of keeping them alive and happy; of guiding them towards a brighter future.

With blue eyes shining in the shadows of dancing flames, Naruto rose like a phoenix from the ashes. Beside him, flanking him, were his best friends, his team. He took a deep breath and steadied himself, drawing strength from their presence. He opened his mouth, prepared to outline the plan to get them all out of the village quickly and safely.

Then he gasped. With a jolt, Naruto's body suddenly lurched to the side and he stumbled. It was only Sakura's quick reflexes that prevented him from tumbling over a pile of rubble. She and Tenten both cried out in alarm at the sudden movement, but Naruto didn't hear them.

All he could hear was a pained, frightened scream.

Sasuke was the first to catch on that something wasn't right.

"Naruto. What is it, what's wrong?" He grasped his friend by the shoulder to steady him.

The five Genin watched as a single, brilliant blue eye stared up at them through shadowed blond bangs. Naruto looked furious. He stood tall, pulling his shoulder from Sasuke's grasp, but kept his head low, his single eye still gleaming from beneath his bangs.

He didn't know _how_ he'd come across the information, all Naruto knew was that he needed to move, _now_. One of his friends needed his help, and nothing in the world was going to stop him.

" _Hinata_ _'_ _s in trouble._ "


End file.
